STEM visitor centre business planning, Hartlepool Borough Council

Client: Hartlepool Borough Council

Working alongside Rubicon Regeneration we provided specialist to prepare the visitor centre business plan to assess the opportunity to develop a STEM hub visitor centre / science centre which will deliver opportunities to learn about science, technology, engineering and maths.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects play a very important role in the wider economy to help ensure that high value sectors of the economy can continue to grow and deliver good employment opportunities for young people.

The visitor centre business plan focussed on benchmarking examples of learning and discovery centres to identify the critical success factors, identifying the wider macro trends which would impact on the project, assessing the local demographic profile and the need and demand for such a facility. We also advised on the key elements of the proposed visitor experience, the main operational considerations and governance and delivery models. We also carried out a module of consultation and user research with the local Youth Parliament and teachers to ensure the project met their needs and aspirations.